Stealing the Legend
by Lady Tol
Summary: Lily Potter had listened at her parent's door almost every night, but she never knew it could be this profitable. 3rd in The Map Series.


Lily Potter's ear was pressed firmly against the wall into her parent's bedroom. It had been a ritual for her since she was nine when her brothers were at school, two years ago, to listen for at least a little bit every night. Now she was eleven, and she would be boarding the Hogwarts Express to begin her first year in a week's time.

And so she was listening against the key hole, hoping to hear some secrets her parents had not divulged to Lily about Hogwarts. It was then that she learned the most valuable information that she ever head against the door.

"D' you think I should give it to them?" Lily recognized the voice as her father's, Harry Potter. She heard her mother scoff at the statement.

"And give them, especially Lily, more incentive to cause trouble? I don't think so." Her mother, Ginny, answered him. Lily's heart jumped in her chest, what were they talking about? It sounded like what she had been waiting for since she started eaves dropping.

"But I don't know. I mean it might mean they could get in trouble less, if they're not getting caught." Harry added, his voice trailing off at the end. The beat of Lily's heart was getting faster. What was this thing they were talking about?

"A map of Hogwarts that shows where everyone in the castle is? With secret passages outside the school? Our children do not need that." Ginny said just loud enough so that even if Lily hadn't been right up against the door, she would have heard her. But Lily couldn't believe it. Her father had a map of Hogwarts, with secret passages marked on it that led out of the school and that showed where everyone in the castle was, and he was considering not giving it to her and her brothers?

"I guess you're right. They would definitely use it. I won't give it to them." Lily almost shouted in anger, but she had learned to keep her cool over the years when eavesdropping, she hadn't been caught once.

"Exactly honey. I mean, it's activated by saying 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,' and closed by 'Mischief Managed.' Not saying much for it, huh?" My mother said while laughing, with my father joining in a few seconds later.

"I'll leave it in the bottom of the nightstand, so I'm not tempted to hand it over."

Lily didn't even wait to hear her mother's response. She was already half-way to tell her brothers about some extremely exciting news.

* * *

"Are you sure this will work, Albus?" James Potter asked his little brother, who was standing right before the stairs that led to the lower floor of the house. The younger boy nodded. 

"Positive. I fall, and you come running after me. I start tearing up a bit, telling them you pushed me down and my arm really hurts. They'll be too busy worrying about me and yelling at you to wonder where Lily is."

"I don't know." James said weakly. He had always been the careful, rule-following, one in the family. It was so unlike his namesake. But breaking the rules was worth it this time for the map Lily had heard their parents talk about.

"Just push him already, or I'll do it." The impatient red head stated, tapping her foot against the floor. Lily wanted the map, and she wanted it now.

James took a deep breath, and shoved his little brother down the stairs, feeling a little guilt as he saw him fall down. Lily ran from the stairs and straight towards their parents' room. She ran to the dresser on her father's side of the bed and resisted the urge to start rummaging through the drawer. She couldn't have Harry realizing that they had figured it out. She already heard her mother's shrill tones.

She went through the drawer as gently as possible, barely acknowledging the pictures and letters on the top. She then saw a spare bit of parchment that looked out of place with all the mementos that her father had placed on top of it.

Her ears strained, picking up the sound of someone coming up the steps. She shoved the parchment into her robes, slammed the drawer shut, and fled the room.

Ginny Potter came up the steps, looking for Lily to make sure she was okay. You never knew with her three children. She opened the door to her youngest child's room and peered inside.

"Lily, what do you have there?" Ginny shouted, shaking her head at the young girl's foolishness.

"Sorry mom, but I love trying your make-up on!" Lily defended herself with, a lipstick in one hand. She had a line of the deep red color down one side of her cheek.

"You're so silly. Let me help you get that off." Ginny laughed, forgetting about being mad at her daughter. Ginny took a handkerchief from her back pocket and started wiping Lily's face off. She didn't even notice the triumphant smirk on her daughter's face.

* * *

"What did they say you activate it with?" James asked, sounding extremely giddy. The three siblings were sitting in a circle on James's bed with the map in between them. It was the first time in the past two years that she hadn't been listening in on her parents. 

"'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good' and you close it with 'mischief managed.'" Lily answered. She was anxious to open the map already. Albus reached into the middle and pulled out his wand. They had already figured out that it wouldn't work if you just said the words. He pointed his wand at the blank piece of parchment and whispered.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Black lines circled around the parchment, forming hallways and classrooms Lily had only heard about from her brothers. She saw Peeves, the poltergeist everyone talked about, bouncing around in the kitchens. Neville Longbottom was in greenhouse one. She assumed he was getting ready for the beginning of term. But the thing that drew all their attention was the words at the top.

"_Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs_

_Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers_

_Are proud to present_

_**The Marauder's Map**__"_

James was the first to speak.

"Wicked."

* * *

A/N: I started writing this story and realized it kind of acts as a sequel to _Confiscated and Highly Dangerous, _which was my first story I published on any site. It got me really excited to finish it. If you like this story, check out _Confiscated and Highly Dangerous. _I like this one better though. I'm thinking about doing a prequel of the two about when the Marauders first use the map. Please review and tell me what you think!

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